Turmeric is an ubiquitous indian spice and a common ingredient of pre-mixed curry or masala powders. Turmeric (haldi, Konkani; haridra, Sanskrit) is also an essential component of fish marinade.
While I take for granted the turmeric used in cooking, I distinctly remember my grandma preparing scalding hot, turmeric milk whenever we had a sore throat or cold. And grandma admonished us to sip it hot, letting it course its way down the back of our throats. Haaiiii! She had alchemized this common root, to a piping hot, golden elixir, which not only got us back to school the next day (unfortunately), but also back on the playground (v good). Something magical about that turmeric milk! If she only knew!
A few months ago when experimenting in the kitchen I had cut my palm. Having seen my aunts and mother for ages in the kitchen, I instinctively reached for the turmeric powder and dabbed it in the cut stanching the blood and forming a clot. Now scientists tell us that turmeric is anti-bacterial – preventing infection and also helping heal the wound! Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric is responsible for its medicinal activity and pigmentation.
Ensconced in multimillion dollar laboratories, western scientists are slowly catching up to what our grandmothers, armed with stone mortar and pestles have known for millennia. Something magical about that turmeric!
Scientists now tell us that curcumin is anti-inflammatory, in that it can reduce soreness and fever, much like tylenol or paracetamol. And it acts like those latest anti-inflammatory drugs called cox-2 inhibitors: Celecoxib and Vioxx. Both of these medicines have serious side effects and vioxx has been withdrawn by the FDA for safety reasons. On the other hand, turmeric as a dietary constituent is safe and well tolerated!
A host of scientific investigations have also looked at the ability of curcumin to fight cancer. Curcumin kills several types of cancer cells in the laboratory. In animals, curcumin prevents or slows cancer in the skin, breast, liver, fore-stomach, duodenum and colon. Curcumin also has anti-angiogenic properties; translation: curcumin seriously slows new blood vessel formation in tumors, causes asphyxiation of tumors and thus preventing their growth and metastases.
Without turning this into a scientific review paper, I hope you are convinced that turmeric is really good for you. Daily consumption of dietary turmeric in the form of added spices, or this turmeric milk can have near magical properties.
No wonder that in Hindu pujas, devas (Gods as crude approximation) and young brides are doused in turmeric powder!
Here is a really simple recipe for the magical turmeric milk (haldi dudh, in konkani). At the first signs of a sore throat, or feverishness, sip this hot milk drink and call it a night! Wake up fresh and ready to take on the world!
When you do try this recipe, I’d love to hear your experience.
Note: Ginger (adrak, Sanskrit) used in this recipe is well recognized in Ayurvedic and western medicine as having anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. It is widely used to prevent motion sickness, to prevent nausea and most importantly suppresses cough. More on that in another recipe.
Recipe:
- In a mug, place 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- Add a quarter cup water and twirl to mix in turmeric
- Top off with milk. You can also skip the milk and do this in water!
- Microwave ~ 2 min (depends on power rating of your microwave) bringing milk nearly to a boil)
- Leave milk in the microwave for ~ 5 min, allowing the active ingredients of ginger and turmeric to seep into the milk
- Add a teaspoon of jaggery. Alternately use honey, cane or regular sugar to taste. Mix well and reheat milk
- Spoon out and discard ginger bits; turmeric settles to the bottom. If it bothers you, you can strain
- Sip this very hot and feel the heat course over your gullet
- Off to bed! Awake refreshed and energized!
Update: Scientists have demonstrated that when curcumin is ingested along with a peppercorn extract, the ability of our body to absorb and utilize curcumin increases dramatically, upto 2000%. Thus the indian tradition of including peppercorn in this home remedy (as commented by readers) has a basis in science as well.
See related drinks:
Selected science articles for further enlightenment (or treat insomnia):
- Sharma and others, Curcumin: The story so far, European Journal of Cancer (2005) (PDF).
- Villengas and others, New mechanisms and therapeutic potential of curcumin for colorectal cancer, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (2008) (PDF).
- Goel and others, Specific inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression by dietary curcumiin in HT-29 human colon cancer cells, Cancer Letters (2001) (PDF).
- Tiwari, Ayurveda: Secrets of Healing, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, India (1995)
Marathoner, Professor, Author, Citizen Journalist, Fitness Nut, Foodie, Meera's father, Hindu, Scientist, Photographer.
I only recently found out about the benifits of Tumeric, ginger and cardomon and black pepper in hot milk. This is not a combination I would have thought to use. Being that I am Lactos Intoleraent, I will give the Coconut Milk version a try next. Ahhh… The possibilities are endless.
I started this year on many medicienes for different ailments. I am gradually replacing them with Natural methods, foods, Anything that used to work in the past. I am slowly getting better wwith the more natural approach. many Thanks for Artical, Very Helpfull.
Blondecat Clare
Thank you Clare for sharing your comment with us.
You even try this without any milk, simply in water. In which case, you will make a smaller amount and sip it quickly.
Agree, I too am slowly moving away from chemical medicines and go for the traditional medicines with herbs and roots for most ailments. Eating well too.
Best Wishes
Arun
I have a 2 year old daughter and she is having bad cough and cold and lil fever. I am gonna try below for my daughter and will let you know the effects…
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp jesthimada powder
sugar, milk & water
This is because she refuses to take anibiotics….
Wish me luck
Priya
Hi Priya,
Here is what we do for our 3 year old Meera (we started this when she was 1) … and builds on what you already have.
Kids, notoriously will not drink turmeric milk. Try this variation: straight from one of our ancient relatives in Kumta. You should skip the milk as the fat can aggravate coughs in kids and in some adults as well.
Hope this works for your kid. Since this is all natural, you can give it at the first sign of a cough.
Best
Arun
How effective would this be with Almond Milk? I don’t like dairy too much.
Yes, it will work. Just note that Almond milk tends to be thicker. Perhaps lighten it by adding water, and also add slightly more turmeric. Experiment and let me know how it works for you.
Best Wishes and Thank you for your comment.
Arun
Just found your site after trying to bounce back from a sore throat/cold – I was recommended to drink milk with turmeric from a Pakistani friend but he didn’t know how much to put in. He also warned me to gulp it down as it tastes nasty… but I just tried the recipe from this site with the modifications from the comments section and it’s not bad at all!
I put into a large microwave coffee mug:
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
a few grinds (maybe 1/4 tsp) of black peppercorns (from a pepper grinder)
Then I boiled the kettle and added approx. 4 tablespoons of hot water to the mug, stirred well to dissolve the spices.
I then added about 1/2 cup of milk and put in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes (beware to put it on medium power and stir every 30 sec, as mine bubbled over when I didn’t watch it). Then I let it sit a few minutes to infuse.
I took a small sieve and strained the mixture into another smaller coffee cup, getting rid of lumps and residues.
I then added 2 tsp eucalyptus honey and stirred it in well. Et voila!
Maybe it was my blocked sense of taste and smell, but this tasted not bad at all, and I didn’t have to gulp it down, just sip it and feel the spiciness helping my sore throat. I’m thinking next time I will try it without straining as I am not sure whether the effectiveness would increase with the residues in.
–Bec
PS – as a medical researcher I loved the mix of background and science on your page. Keep it going!
Hi Bec,
That sounds like a pretty good concoction. As you prolly figured it out, you could make infinite variations, only limited by your imagination, your spice rack and taste buds
Go for it!
Since you have already boiled the mix, the residue likely has very little of the active ingredient left in it. So, no harm in straining. When I just add the ginger, turmeric and pepper, I don’t strain. The bits of ginger are actually quite tasty and I like to munch on them anyway.
Best Wishes to you in your experimentation.
and Thank you for sharing your recipe and enthusiasm,
Arun
sounds like a soothing tonic! mmm.
Give it a try and then let me know how it works for you.
To your health,
Arun
hi, just trying a variant on your concoction, skimmed milk and low fat coconut milk with ginger power, ground black pepper turmeric and a little honey, within seconds its relieved a lot of the pain i had swallowing that no amount of beechams or paracetamol managed well done, most impressed
Laura:
Very creative with the coconut milk and honey. Impressive. That sound very delicious; must try it myself.
And very impressed at how quickly it worked for you.
Thank you for sharing your mix here so others could follow.
Best Wishes
Arun
BTW, curcumin extract in capsules is available, but I do NOT recommend it as it would them be easy to reach the higher toxic levels. By ingesting turmeric, there is a built in safety system and the drink (or food) will become soo bitter you will not be able to drink it.
You could also add it your fish or chicken marinade, and even sprinkle a tiny bit on vegetables when cooking.
Try making a little concentrate in hot water and keep it cold in the refrigerator. Then you could add a little bit of the concentrate to your cold milk. I would only make enough concentrate for 2-3 days, max.
Good luck and
Live long and healthy!
Arun
In a time crunch, do you absolutely have to cook the milk? I am loving the turmeric with fresh ground pepper and ground cinnamon mixed up in 2 cups of cold Lactaid milk. It takes a bit to get all the lumps out, but otherwise it is much quicker to make. I want to drink this often for the anti-inflammatory effects and don’t want to lessen the potency.
Melissa,
You stumped me!
Let me think this through. Heating the milk with the turmeric and pepper, extracts the active ingredient curcumin “into” the milk, which you will then drink. The residual powdered turmeric, with its active ingredient extracted, acts like a filler and passes through.
But if you do not heat the milk, it is likely that the active ingredient in the turmeric will be extracted in the digestive system and you will still get the anti-inflammatory effects.
However, since the primary purpose of drinking the turmeric milk was for sore throats, by drinking it cold, you will not get the anti-inflammatory effect locally to the inside of the throat, but more systemically. If you were to drink the turmeric milk hot, curcumin and thus the anti-inflammatory effect will be directed (and concentrated) on the tissues inside of the throat and you should see a more quicker and potent effect on your sore throat.
So there! Drink it cold for a more systemic effect, but drink it heated (and then cooled if you choose) for a more local effect for sore throats.
Thank you for posing that query.
Arun
Arun, this is wonderful! Makes perfect sense. Thanks for puzzling that out so quickly!
I’ve been reading such great things about curcumin, but it is not always clear how to get enough of it in your system to start having all the “magical” effects it is purported to have. So I am just trying to think of all the different ways I can quickly get it into my diet. How easy it is to just add it to my nightly glass of milk before bed!
Melissa
Arun,
Thankyou for the informative blog, like most of us i have come a full circle and became a fan of turmeric milk.
Just had a question though how much turmeric is max for a daily dose?
Sorry if its redundant I am not sure if you already addressed this in the questions/comments.
Hi Vinay,
In one of the attached references there is a maximum dose of turmeric, beyond which it causes stomach upset. But you could only achieve it by extract the active ingredient and then taking this overdose in the form of a pill. thus, if you are just going to be consuming regular turmeric through diet (and in this milk form), it will be practically impossible to achieve it.
To your health!
Arun
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve just developed a cold with a sore throat + low grade fever and am stuck in a hotel room. I made the drink with unsweetened almond milk, ginger, black pepper that I brought with me, and fresh turmeric that I bought on impulse while exploring. I mashed them a bit in the mug. It’s pretty strong and the peppery, gingery “burn” is really soothing for my throat. Afterwards, I ate the pieces of turmeric and ginger. The ginger is pretty intense (it’s organic, too!), but the cooked fresh turmeric root is pretty bland and easy to eat. I’m definitely less congested, and the throat pain has lessened.
At home I make a turmeric paste by cooking turmeric powder, black pepper, and water together. I keep it in a jar and find it easier than powder to combine with liquid.
Re: possible reason for adding ghee
I have read that in Ayurveda, turmeric is “drying” and can exacerbate hot and dry conditions, so oils are added for their cooling and moistening properties. I don’t know about this theory in any kind of depth, though. Just read it online.
Cardamom and saffron sound delicious. Must try adding those when I get home.
Thank you Su for sharing your tips.
I don’t travel well and tend to get sick while travelling. Then, I dread not having my haldi-dudh. So lately I have been carrying a tiny bit of haldi and ginger powder with me on trips.
Glad you got through your cold and sore throat. Many have mentioned fresh turmeric, I had not tried it till this visit to Mumbai when I bought it off the street. Quite delicious. did not have the punch of the powder, but I liked the taste.
Interesting that you keep a ‘paste’ handy. i worry that it will get spoilt and have thus not tried it.
And yes, my grandma used to occasionally add ‘tuup’ (?) to these types of concoctions, (then without the milk). As kids, I hated the tuup and think it carried over in my choice of excluding it.
heh heh! Try with the cardamom and saffron – its so good, you forget its supposed to be medicinal.
To your health,
Arun
I agree with what you have elaborated in your article. I have been having haldi with hot milk daily since last 7 months and the results are phenomenol. I do not feel lethargic, feel more energetic and developed immunity and resistance too.
Thank you Anshuman!
Wishing you the best of health.
hehe Arun…..u r absolutely right
Thanks a ton!
Best Wishes
anju
Hi Arun
I thank you for your prompt reply. Very impressive really.
My cold is 9 yrs old and yes miserable it is. Had haldi-dudh last night and God, I slept like a baby after a long long time.
You are right 1 tsp of turmeric which I used and with ginger, was very strong, hence will take your advice and will use 1/2 tsp.
If this remedy will get rid of my cold, it will be a miracle.
Will keep you posted.
Many Thanks.
Best Wishes
anju
Yaay Anju!
Glad it seems to have an effect, at least for a night.
I am usually creative about this: in addition to turmeric, you can add a pinch of black pepper powder. It apparently makes the turmeric more easily absorbed in the body. And, if you are not too crazy about the taste, I add some crushed cardamom (elaichi) and occasionally a bit of the badam pista powder used to make masala milk. Ha ha!
Whatever it takes, right?
Go for it!
Arun
I have been told to have turmeric with milk for my perpetual cold, but I have never felt inspired enough to take it until today when I have tried all of homeopathy, ayurvedic and naturopathy including jal-neti (temporary relief) I thought of taking haldi-dudh and stumbled upon this page. I feel very positive about this remedy and although it is midnight here am gonna start it right now.
I thank you Arun for putting up a very informative and an inspiring article. Just hope that as it has worked for you and many others, it would work just as well for me too.
Best Wishes.
Hi Anju:
Wishing you the best with your cold – I can only imagine know how miserable that must feel.
This really works and it is inexpensive to make. I decreased the amount of turmeric in a mug to 1/2 a tsp. I found that depending on the batch of turmeric, 1 tsp tends to be too strong and very bitter.
Go for it and hope you feel better – let us know.
Arun
hi Arun,
i happened to come across your blog.loved it. im a health freak. can you tell me if haldi dhoodh can be had in summers as well. i was told its heaty in summers and should be taken only in winters. thanks n take care.
Thank you for your interest Ruben;
yes, the Haldi dudh is a hot drink and know to have “heat,” but you can have it in the summer as well. Absolutely no problem.
The context is similar to when people say, you should not eat spicy food (also having heat) in the summer.
To your health
Arun
I can’t believe this!!! I have had a sore throat, and when I say sore I mean my throat was on fire, wake you out of a sound sleep type of sore..for over a week.
I remember that a friend at work had told me about turmeric milk and looked up the recipe…
The antibiotics weren’t helping, the lozenges weren’t helping, the cough medicine…not working, I had nothing to lose!
Let me just say…a REVELATION!
Just finished my first “dose”, this is the best my throat has felt in days! Truly wonderful, thank you for sharing this remedy…Turmeric is going to be number one in the spice cabinet from now on!!
WoW! Great to hear you are feeling better.
and thank you for such an enthusiastic comment!
Every time I even feel that I have a cold coming on, I drink turmeric milk – poof goes the cold!
To health!
Arun
Thank you, Arun. I feel this home remedy is very good solution for most of the common health problems, instead running to busy clinics & pharmacies in Abu Dhabi.
Dev apali kalaji ghetoch, jar apan alas nahi kela tar….
Regards,
Nilesh
Hi Arun,
Thank you. “Haldi Doodh” is really magical medicine for most of the problems and specially for small childrens. Instead giving “doctor’s” medicine to our child, try “Haldi Milk” on most of the viral (which child carry very often). Infact I too tried it with my child (2 1/2 yr) a week before (and avoided to take him to doctor) for cough and cold…it worked out very well…Now he happily taking it for last 3-4 days…Most of the time, we take child to doctor though we know its viral..give him high power antibiotics and doses….But this time I purposefully decided to try with “Haldi Milk” only….Can you tell me whether we can continue this milk to all the time though symptoms of cough / cold are not there any more? Is it good for adults to have it everyday though no health problem (apparant one)…
Regards,
Nilesh
Hi Nilesh:
So fantastic to hear of your use of haldi dudh. That is exactly how we kids were raised and got treated and it is perfectly fine to do this for simple coughs and colds. if the symptoms persist or get worse, then a doctor should be consulted.
There is absolutely no harm in drinking a cup of haldi dudh every day. If you think about it, we prolly consume a similar amount of haldi in our diet every day. The only toxicity reports that I have found were when westerners overdosed on capsules of curcumin an active ingredient extracted from turmeric. That is something sooo unnatural, I would NOT recommend anyone from doing. As long as you use plain turmeric in your cooking and milk, it is difficult to OD on it. As you have probably experienced, if you add too much turmeric, the taste gets so bitter, it is difficult to drink/eat. In a sense, we have natural barriers to overdosing.
BTW, I don’t wait for symptoms, whenever i am super tired and feel “kinda down,” I end the day with Haldi-dudh. When we are tired, our immune system is at its lowest and that is when we can easily contract simple colds and coughs. In these situations, haldi-dudh prevents common ailments.
Go for it.
Dev Bara karo to you and your family.
Arun
Very nice article Arun. Simple language, interesting anecdotes and the right amount of evidence based studies. Enjoyed reading through it.
I also wrote on turmeric in India New England. You can check the article here.
Take care and see you soon!
Hi Pratibha:
Thank you for checking out this article. I also try and share our family experiences in my writing. Glad you liked
Yes, read your detailed article in INE – Congrats!
Are you coming to the New Year’s Satsang? Looking forwrad to seeing you then.
Best wishes for the holidays.
Arun
hi arun,
thnx for the info…it was really useful..i have start taking it with milk from few days but i read in various websites that it has some side effects if taken continuously or not in proper dose / quantity
http://ezinearticles.com/?Turmeric-Side-Effects—5-Dangerous-Effects-and-How-to-Avoid-Them&id=3987091
what do you say about it? what would be the right quantity and can it be taken life long with milk as tonic ??? let me have ur views please
rgds,
shb
Because of the well know medicinal properties, folks have extracted the active ingredient ‘curcumin’ and packaged that in capsules. That is a disaster. All the side-effects relate to the use of folks ODin on these capsules.
If you take in turmeric, as it appears naturally and as billions of people have used in India and southeast asia over many millenia, there are no problems. Turmeric is used everyday in most of our cooking. All varieties of curry powder include turmeric. And when used in excess, turmeric makes the dish very bitter. So there is a built in safety mechanism for over-dosing on turmeric.
If you are using regular turmeric powder to make the milk, you don’t have to worry. But stay away for the capsules of the active ingredients.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, and
Wishing you the very best of health.
Arun
Thank you for the recipe. I made it for my daughter before bed and I haven’t heard her coughing!
WoW! That is amazing to hear!
Yes, every time Meera coughs or has a cold (and even me) its time to make Haldi-dudh. You can add a pinch of black pepper as well.
Glad your daughter is feeling better.
Yaay!
Arun